New FBI director visits Miami, spotlights threat of U.S. extremists traveling to Syria

@jayhweaver

FBI director James Comey said Monday that counter-terrorism is still the bureau’s No. 1 priority, but its focus has shifted toward U.S. travelers going to Syria bent on some “misguided jihad” — including a Florida man who participated in a rebel suicide-bombing attack in May.

The 22-year-old Vero Beach man, Moner Mohammad Abusalha, was believed to have been the first American suicide bomber in Syria.

Comey, who toured the FBI’s Miami field office for the first time since he was confirmed last September, said “Syrian travelers” are of grave concern to the bureau.

Comey, flanked by dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement officials during a brief speech at the Miramar Cultural Center, said the bureau is focused on U.S. travelers who go to Syria, receive terrorist training and return to the United States.